Bridges of Madison County Author Dead at 77

Bridges of Madison County author Robert Waller has died of complications from the cancer he had been battling. He was 77 years old. From People:

The novel, which Waller wrote in 11 days, tells the story of a National Geographic photographer named Robert Kincaid, who seduces a lonely Italian-American woman named Francesca Johnson while on a photo assignment in the small town. Francesca, meanwhile, is married to a straight-edged farmer.

The Bridges of Madison County topped the New York Times best-seller list for over three years after it was released. It sold 12 million copies in 40 languages, turning its author into a millionaire and the small town of Madison County into a hot spot for tourists from all over the world. The film version, which [Clint] Eastwood directed in 1995, grossed $182 million worldwide.